Sunday, December 13, 2009

Breaking news: Standing by the watercooler may help you stay trim. When researchers from the University of Queensland in Australia strapped an accelerometer (a device that measures not just steps but movements) onto 168 healthy and active men and women for one week, they found that those who incorporated more breaks, like standing or walking, into their workdays were about 2.3 inches slimmer around the waist than those who parked it in their swivel chairs for hours on end. They also had healthier blood fats (lower triglycerides). Breaks were as short as one minute (very doable!) and defined as anything but sitting. So touch your toes at your desk, stand while on the phone, or, at least, stretch.